Professional liability for St. Ignatius service businesses
What errors-and-omissions coverage costs at the 2026 median, which St. Ignatius businesses need it, and how claims-made policies actually work.
Professional liability for St. Ignatius service businesses runs against a $88 monthly national median, priced on revenue and specialty.
St. Ignatius, Montana has about 830 residents, and carriers price its businesses on trade, payroll and revenue rather than on the town itself.
Small businesses in St. Ignatius compare against a national median of $45 a month for general liability - $538 a year in 2026 policy data.
E&O claims are slow-burn: work delivered this year gets disputed next year. Policies are claims-made, meaning coverage must be active both when the work happened and when the claim lands - one reason owners keep it running between contracts rather than switching it off. Median cost: $88 a month.
Professional liability - E&O - covers being sued over the quality of your advice or work product: a missed deadline that costs a client money, a design error, bad numbers in a report. For service businesses it is the line clients' contracts most often demand. The 2026 national median is $88 a month.
What it costs in 2026
| Coverage | Median monthly | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| General liability | $45 | Injuries to others and damage to their property |
| Business owner's policy (BOP) | $83 | GL plus your own property and lost income |
| Professional liability (E&O) | $88 | Claims that your work or advice caused a loss |
| Workers' compensation | $54 | Employee injury care and lost wages |
| Commercial umbrella | $86 | Extra limits above your other liability policies |
| Commercial property | $108 | Standalone cover for gear, inventory, premises |
| Cyber insurance | $129 | Data breach response and liability |
See your professional liability rate for St. Ignatius
These carriers quote small businesses online in about ten minutes. Prices come from the carrier, not from this site.
Disclosure: this is an independent guide. If you start a quote through a link here, the carrier may pay this site a referral fee. That fee never changes the price you are quoted.
When professional liability pays - and when it will not
Typically covered
- A client sues over an error in your work product or advice
- A missed deadline that costs a client real money
- Negligence claims - including the defense of unfounded ones
- On many policies, the work of subcontractors you are responsible for
Typically not covered
- Bodily injury or property damage - that is general liability
- Deliberate fraud or dishonest acts
- Claims you already knew about before the policy started - the claims-made rule
- Employment disputes with your own staff - that is EPLI
Getting a St. Ignatius quote
Getting a quote does not commit you to anything and does not affect your current policy. Owners typically compare two or three carriers - the panel below links ones that quote online - and the spread between highest and lowest offer for the same coverage is routinely 20-40%.
This guide is research, not advice: an independent summary of published data. It is not an insurance company, agency or broker, and it cannot tell you what your business should buy - a licensed agent in Montana can.
Common questions
What makes premiums go up the most?
Trade risk class, payroll size, revenue, claim history and coverage limits - roughly in that order. A single recent claim can move pricing more than every discount combined, which is why deductible choices matter.
Is business interruption coverage worth it?
It only pays when a covered physical event - fire, burst pipe - closes your location, but when it pays it replaces the income a closed business is not earning. It comes bundled inside most BOPs rather than as a separate policy.
How much is general liability insurance for a small business?
The 2026 national median is $45 per month, or about $538 per year, based on published policy data from over 100,000 small businesses. Low-risk desk businesses often pay less; trades with site work pay more.
What is a certificate of insurance?
A one-page proof-of-coverage document carriers issue on request, listing your policy types, limits and dates. Landlords, GCs and clients in St. Ignatius ask for it before signing - carriers email it same-day, usually free.
Do I need workers' comp if I only use subcontractors?
It depends on the state and on whether the subs carry their own coverage - several states count uninsured subcontractors as your employees for comp purposes. Verify with the Montana Office of the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance before assuming you are exempt.
See your professional liability rate for St. Ignatius
These carriers quote small businesses online in about ten minutes. Prices come from the carrier, not from this site.
Disclosure: this is an independent guide. If you start a quote through a link here, the carrier may pay this site a referral fee. That fee never changes the price you are quoted.
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